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After a break of just over a month, racing returns to Cheltenham tomorrow, Wednesday, April 18, when the two-day April Meeting gets underway with a seven-race card.
The richest race of the day is the £40,000 Grade Two Ceres Estates Silver Trophy Limited Handicap Chase over two miles and five furlongs.
Seven horses go to post in this event with champion trainer Paul Nicholls responsible for the joint top weights, Woolcombe Folly and Aerial, who was successful in the Grade Three Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury last month.
Another trainer who goes into tomorrow's race double-handed is Ferdy Murphy, who saddles Divers, successful in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase at The Festival in 2011 and Lord Villez. The field is completed by Hector's Choice, Gilbarry and The Cockney Mackem, who was runner up in the Grade Three Byrne Group Plate at The Festival last month.
Tomorrow also sees an exciting innovation at Cheltenham with the staging of the first ever race restricted to riders who are graduates of Pony Racing.
The £10,000 Pony Racing Authority Graduates Handicap Hurdle (5.30pm) is restricted to riders that have graduated from PRA Pony Racing and hold a Category A, Category B or conditional jockeys' licence. Riders must also have completed 10 starts in point-to-points and under Rules.
A field of 15 goes to post in this contest and as an additional bonus it is also one of the first races in the Horsemen's Group Bonus Scheme. Under the scheme a £5,000 bonus is payable to winning connections, with 70 per cent going to the owner, 15 per cent to the trainer, 10 per cent to the jockey and five per cent to stable staff.
Trainer Brendan Powell is doubly represented in the Pony Racing Authority Graduates Handicap Hurdle with Dark And Dangerous, who is partnered by his son Brendan Powell Jnr and Caught By Witness, the mount of Jake Greenall.
Dark And Dangerous is a dual winner this season and was last seen out when finishing 16th in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at The Festival while Caught By Witness has recently joined the Powell stable having previously been under the care of Martin Keighley.
Brendan Powell said today: “Without a doubt, Pony Racing has been a great innovation. It has been going for years in Ireland and it is where the likes of Adrian Maguire and Norman Williamson began their careers.
“The Pony Racing in Britain has been great and some of the up and coming jockeys over the past three or four years have come from that field. It's a good idea and gives young riders a good insight into what goes on.
“Dark And Dangerous just got knocked about a bit in the Fred Winter and I think he will be better over two and a half miles in time but he has a nice weight and should run a good race tomorrow.
“Caught By Witness has had loads of problems. He was second in his first bumper to Cue Card and at times has looked good. He needs to switch off a bit and probably also wants two and a half miles. They should hopefully go a good gallop tomorrow and he'll switch off - we should learn a lot more about him.
“All the owners know about the Horsemen's Group Bonus Scheme but we have to win the race first!”
Action kicks off tomorrow at 2.00pm with the £12,000 Messier-Bugatti-Dowty Novices' Hurdle which has attracted eight declarations, while the £10,000 Rundle & Co Handicap Chase (2.35pm) over an extended three and a half miles is sure to be a competitive affair with 16 runners set to go to post.
Minella Class, who won the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown Park in 2011, is one of 13 runners in the £16,000 Auriga Network Handicap Hurdle (3.10pm) over an extended two and a half miles while the three-mile £10,000 Citipost Novices' Handicap Hurdle (4.20pm) has a maximum field of 20.
The remaining race on the card is the £16,000 Weatherite Novices' Chase (4.55pm) over an extended three miles and a furlong in which five horses line up.
After racing, auctioneers Brightwells will hold the Cheltenham April Evening Sale in the Centaur. Selling gets underway at 6.30pm.
